POISONS OF VEGETABLE ORIGIN 193 



house is invariably built on posts, and raised some feet 

 above the level of the ground ; so that, with a long 

 bamboo tube or pipe, it is easy for a night thief to con- 

 vey the fumes of datura to the sleeping room above by 

 roasting the seeds on the ground below. If necessary, 

 he may have previously poisoned the watch- dogs. He 

 then cuts through the thin wall of the house, which is 

 generally of plaited split bamboo, and removes even 

 heavy boxes, without disturbing his victims in their 

 stupor. In the process of burning or fuming, the 

 narcotic agents contained in datura seeds must be 

 diffused and dravra into the lungs ^ thus causing the 

 drowsiness which passes into stupor. 



When used to produce lethargy by means of the fumes 

 Mchiihong seeds are sometimes burnt with a well-kno'WTi 

 incense, eagle- wood or lign-aloes (giharu or gaharu; 

 Aquilaria malaccensis, Lam. — Thymeleacese), which, 

 however, may be derived from other varieties ; it burns 

 with a strong perfume and is used for scenting joss- 

 sticks, etc. Tliis much-prized gum is supposed to be 

 under the care of haniu or evil spirits, while the tree 

 itself is beheved to cause illness or death to those who 

 cut it down wrongfully. Skeat says : " When the tree 

 has been felled you must be exceedingly careful to 

 see that nobody passes between the end of the fallen 

 trunk and the stump ; whoever does so will surely be 

 killed by the ' eagle- wood spirit,' who is supposed to be 

 extremely powerful and dangerous " (" Malay Magic "). 

 Another incense, a clear, almost transparent resin 

 known as the cat*3-eye resin, obtained from the cMngal 

 tree (Balanocarpus maximus, King— Dipt erocarpacese), 

 and a similar resin obtained from the Uban tree (Vitex 

 pubescens, VahL — Verbenaceoe) are burnt also with 

 datura seeds in the same way. A few years ago two 

 cases of poisoning by datura fumes were reported from 



itp. 13 



